Poker is a game of strategy and luck that became popular in the 21st century because of the Internet and television coverage of high stakes tournaments. Whether you play the game for fun or make it your career, there are some fundamentals that can help you improve your win rate and avoid bad habits.

If you want to play well, it’s a good idea to focus on one table and observe all the players around you. This will give you a better sense of what the good players are doing and let you learn from them. It will also let you watch for subtle physical tells and analyze the behavior of each player.

When you’re playing poker, you can say “call” or “I call” to make a bet equal to the last person’s bet. This will add chips or cash to the pot and place you in position to act next. You can also raise the stakes by saying “raise” or “I raise.” This will cause the other players to either call your new bet or fold.

You can also say “fold” if you have no interest in playing the hand. If you’re bluffing, saying “I bluff” can confuse your opponent. This is because they may think you actually have a strong hand when you are bluffing and they may call your bet. Alternatively, you can say “I don’t bluff” to make it clear that you are not trying to bluff at all.